Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Converting to Buddhism for Dr. Shitou

This is the first half of the story, and the following is the second half of the story. After reading the first half of the story, readers, you must have imagined that the second half of the story started when I met Monk Zhikong again. Yes, it can be said that way, but there are also small Small twists and turns must be explained. Since then, I have experienced many strange things. Many people know me. If they encounter any strange things, even if they don’t know me, they will automatically come to my door, or ask someone to introduce them to me. He told me the strange things he thought, and what’s more, he sent letters from afar to describe some strange things to me. However, I met the monk Zhikong again, but it was not in this situation. It can be said that it was completely accidental. Chance.

On a sunny spring afternoon, I was fishing in a small stream in the suburbs. The stream was very clear, and I could see many pebbles at the bottom of the water, some of which had colorful stripes. This kind of cobblestone reminds me of Yuhuatai Stone naturally, and when I think of Yuhuatai Stone, I think of the strangest one.I can't help but feel a little confused. Fishing is the most distracting thing. I took away the fishing rod and was about to go back. When I stood up, I saw a monk on the other side, walking into a bamboo forest. The monk was wearing a gray cassock like ordinary monks, but when I saw the monk's back, I couldn't help but feel a sudden movement. The back looked too much like the monk Zhikong back then.

For a moment, I almost wanted to yell loudly, but after a second thought, I didn't yell out, because I thought, things wouldn't be so coincidental, just as I remembered the Yuhua Terrace stone, I met Monk Zhikong, That's really impossible. Because the time has been so many years apart, and the place is thousands of miles apart, is there really such a coincidence that I will meet Monk Zhikong again by chance? Just as I hesitated for a moment, the monk had already walked into the bamboo forest, and his back was also covered by the bamboo forest, making him invisible. Although I thought that it would not be such a coincidence, I still couldn't help but feel puzzled, thinking to myself that if I catch up and take a look, I can't be wrong.So, I stepped on the stones above the water on the creek, crossed the stream, and entered the bamboo forest. After I walked out of the bamboo forest, I saw the monk was still in front, walking slowly, and I hurried after him. up.

Because my footsteps were very hurried, the monk also felt that someone was chasing him. He stood still and turned his head to look at me. As soon as he turned his head, I was disappointed, that was definitely not Monk Zhikong, although many years had passed, but if it was Monk Zhikong standing in front of me, I would definitely recognize him.However, the monk was not. The monk looked at me, smiled, and said kindly, "What advice do you have?" I hurriedly said, "I'm sorry, I mistook someone." The monk smiled and said, "I am a monk, the person you are looking for is also a monk?"

It is very common to admit the wrong person, but it is somewhat strange to admit the wrong monk, because that monk would ask me that way.Originally, I wanted to leave, but I heard that the monk's accent was the accent of the Huaiyang area. My heart moved a little, and I said in the local accent: "Yes, I am looking for a master. He used to He became a monk at Jinshan Temple." The monk became happy: "Jinshan Temple, I also became a monk in Jinshan Temple, who are you looking for?" I said: "Shangzhi, Xiakong, Master Zhikong." The monk clasped his hands together in joy, "So it's Senior Brother Zhikong."

Then, he looked at me with strange eyes: "Brother Zhikong has no relatives outside Fang, you are..." I sighed: "I can be regarded as his friend. I knew him a long time ago. At that time, he was still in Jinshan Temple." The monk said: "Yes, that was really a long time ago. Brother Zhikong left the temple one day and never came back, and no one knows where he went." I hurriedly said, "You don't know either?" The monk shook his head: "I never knew." I was very disappointed, but I thought that he and Monk Zhikong were both monks, so it would be more convenient for him to inquire about the whereabouts of Monk Zhikong. There is nothing to lose either.So I took out a business card: "Master, all these years, I have been wanting to see Monk Zhikong again. If you have any news about him, please let me know."

The monk took my business card and said without hesitation, "Okay, I will inform you." I talked with him about the scenery of Jinshan Temple. I found that although the monk said that all four things are empty, he still has nostalgia for the place where he became a monk since childhood. I believe that monk Zhikong is no exception, but he resolutely left Jinshan Temple back then. From this we can see that the matter must be very serious, forcing him to leave! I broke up with the monk and returned home. A few days later, I didn't put any hope in this matter at all. That night, I was in the study when Bai Su walked in suddenly with a strange look on his face.

I just glanced at her and knew that something must have happened. Before I asked, she said: "I know you have all kinds of friends, but I don't know that you have monk friends." As soon as I heard the word "monk", my heart skipped a beat and I jumped up: "What do you mean?" Probably because of my expression, I was so nervous that it was funny, so she laughed: "Don't be nervous, I just told you that a monk came to see you, and he is in the living room now." I hurriedly said: "I'm waiting for the monk to come to me. Remember I mentioned that magical Yuhuatai stone to you? I think, this monk is here! There must be some clues."

I mentioned Monk Zhikong’s Yuhuatai stone to my wife several times, so she was also deeply impressed. As soon as I said it, she understood, but her expression was somewhat puzzled. She said: “That stone I'm afraid I will be disappointed, the monk who came here is very young, he will never be more than thirty years old." I said "Oh": "No matter who he is, I'll go and meet him first." As I spoke, I went out, and when I arrived in the living room, I saw a monk standing with his hands behind his back, admiring a picture of Arhats made by a Song Dynasty hanging on the wall. , he was very tall, I coughed, and the monk turned around.

Sure enough, he is very young, not more than thirty years old, and his expression is obvious at a glance. He is a very learned intellectual. He saw me: "Benefactor?" I said: "Yes, Your Excellency is..." The monk said: "My Dharma name is illusory. I heard that you are looking for my master..." He paused for a while, and then said: "Master Zhikong!" I hurriedly said: "Yes, I have been looking for Master Zhikong for many years. Since he left Jinshan Temple suddenly that year, I have been looking for him. Please sit down. You are very welcome."

Huan Lie sat down, his voice was very low: "Yes, I heard Master talk about that incident, and at the same time, I have heard your name for a long time." I was stunned for a while, and I didn't even bother to say polite words. I hurriedly said: "You know about this? Then, you must also know about the Yuhuatai Stone, right?" Huan nodded. My breath was involuntary, a little hurried, and I hurriedly said: "So, have you seen this stone?" Fantasized and nodded again. I took a deep breath, in fact, I don't know how many words I want to say, but for a while, I don't know what to say. We didn't speak when we were delusional, neither of us opened our mouths. We were silent for a long time, and then we said: "Master Zhikong really wants to see you again, are you happy to meet him?" I hurriedly said, "Of course I'm happy, where is he?" Illusionally said: "He is the presiding officer in a small monastery, the monastery is really too small, there are only me and him." I said, "Please take me there." Huan Lie stood up, and I went out the door with him, got into the car, and when I was driving the car to the monastery Huan Lie mentioned, I asked curiously: "Please forgive my abruptness, you... …I seem……" Huan Liao turned his head and looked at me. For a moment, I didn't know how to word it. He was delusional, but he seemed to know what I wanted to ask him. He smiled and said, "You want to ask me why I became a monk, don't you? Don't I look like a monk?" I hurriedly said, "No, of course it doesn't mean that, but it seems that you have received a high level of education." Huan Le smiled modestly: "It can be said that I have three doctoral degrees." I didn't say anything more. A person with three Ph.D. degrees became a monk and became a monk. It must have been a very sad thing. Naturally, I can't ask any more questions. But he laughed again after being delusional: "Please don't misunderstand that I have killed people or lost love. The reason why I follow Master Zhikong and convert to Buddhism is entirely for..." When he said this, he paused again. At that time, in order to hear why he wanted to take refuge in Buddhism, I turned my head and looked at him. For a moment, I forgot that I was driving a car. On the lamppost! Fortunately, the collision was not serious, the two of us shook together, I quickly backed up the car, smiled and said: "You are driving, I'd better not talk to you too much." I continued to drive the car forward: "No, you have to tell me, otherwise, I will be thinking wildly, and I will not be able to concentrate on driving!" Huan Hua's attitude is very calm and leisurely, as if he doesn't care about anything. His calm and leisurely attitude is the exact opposite of my impatience and haste. He nodded: "It's very simple to say, I took refuge in Buddhism entirely because of that stone." I was shocked suddenly, and the car jumped several times, and I lost my voice: "Is that Yuhuatai stone?" Huan nodded: "Yes." At that moment, I really didn't know what to say.Yes, that piece of Yuhuatai Stone, it can be said to be an extremely strange thing, which makes people unforgettable after seeing it for a lifetime. In fact, I have been thinking about the strangeness of that piece of Yuhuatai Stone all these years. However, what power does this Yuhuatai stone have that can make a young man with three doctorates become a monk? Naturally, I can't answer, and this answer, unless I say it out of illusion, no one in the world can guess it! I drove the car to the side of the road and stopped, although I was eager to meet Monk Zhikong, but no matter what, I had to clarify this matter first. Seeing me stop the car, he said, "Okay, I'll explain it to you in detail." I hurriedly said: "I'm really sorry, this stone has made me think about it for many years, but there is no answer. I really can't help my curiosity." Huan Liao smiled indifferently: "It doesn't matter, I have always wanted to find someone to explain the mystery of this stone with me, but I can't find anyone. I think you are the most suitable!" I was also honest and blunt: "You really found the right person!" The monk looked up at the roof of the car and said, "My father is an old-fashioned man. Although he sent me to study abroad to learn the latest science, he is an old-fashioned man. He believes in Buddhism, and Master Zhikong We got along very well, so I have known Master Zhikong since I was a child. At that time, Master Zhikong was in Yuwang Temple in Ningbo." I nodded. Master Zhikong lived in Yuwang Temple for some time after he left Jinshan Temple in Zhenjiang. There are three thousand monks in Yuwang Temple. Then he said: "Later, I went abroad to study, and after I came back from my studies, I met Master Zhikong again. The reason why I saw that stone was by accident. One day, my father asked me to ask Zhikong Master Kong, when I arrived at his place, I saw him concentrating on looking at a stone, and he was still muttering to himself." I couldn't help interjecting: "It turns out that he has been keeping that piece of Yuhua Terrace Stone all these years." The monk ignored my interjection, and he continued on his own: "At that time, he was putting the stone under the sun. When I approached, he didn't know, and I immediately saw the stone. In it, something is moving!" When he was talking here, he paused again, and then looked at me: "You have seen that stone before, so you naturally understand the surprise in my heart at that time." I nodded immediately. Only those who have seen that stone know how a person feels after seeing that stone. I said, "How was Master Zhikong?" Illusionally said: "Master Zhikong immediately put away the stone, but I insisted that he take it out for me to take a closer look. Master Zhikong thought for a long time before handing the stone into my hands. At that time, I was completely bewildered by what happened in this stone. On that day, I returned the stone to Master Zhikong and asked him to have a long talk with my father, but I really couldn't forget that stone. After that, I almost every day , I was with Master Zhikong, I raised various questions about that stone, and suggested that Master Zhikong peel off this stone and hand it over to a first-class scientific research institution for research.” I hurriedly said, "He agreed?" Huan shook his head: "No, he didn't agree, he just told me that there were originally two such stones." I was stunned for a while, this is something I have never known.In fact, after Xu Yuejing and I stole that stone together, Master Zhikong came after him and chased that Yuhuatai Stone back. He never said anything about that stone at all. I lost my voice: "Two yuan? Is there another one?" Dazed for a while, he seemed to be thinking about whether he should tell me, he finally decided to tell me, and he said: "Another stone of the same kind caused a great tragedy!" I was even more surprised and inexplicable, I hurriedly said: "The big tragedy, what does that mean, tell me quickly!" I was delusional but refused to continue: "I'd better wait for Master Zhikong to tell you about this!" I said anxiously: "He won't tell me. Back then, I stole his stone in Jinshan Temple, and he never told me anything!" Huan smiled: "It's different now, he will definitely tell you, and it is much better for him to tell you, because he is a person who has experienced the situation, and I am just relaying, speaking, It must not be as vivid and beautiful as what he said!" I couldn't help sighing, well, I'm delusional. Since I refused to talk about the "tragedy" caused by the same Yuhuatai stone, at least I can know why he became a monk because of that Yuhuatai stone. Huan Liao continued: "Although Master Zhikong disagrees with my method, he agrees that he and I will study this stone. I am a person who has received strict scientific training, and I have an understanding of science. Indescribable fanaticism, people with this kind of fanaticism, the more they don't understand things, the more they want to understand!" I nodded and said: "Yes, although I have not received scientific training, I also have the same fanaticism." Huan smiled and said, "One year later, I still can't draw any conclusions about this Yuhua Terrace Stone. At that time, my father died, and I didn't have any worries..." I looked at him without any worries. This is not a reason for a person to become a monk! Before I could ask, he said again in a delusional way: "Before I had any conclusions, Master Zhikong told me that to explain the strange phenomenon of this stone, science is not enough to explain it, only Buddhism can explain it. I believe His words, so I worship him as my teacher!" When I heard this, I couldn't help but smiled wryly. It’s no wonder that when he heard me say that I also have fanaticism just now, he was about to smile, and he didn’t refute me, saying that I’m not actually fanatic, but now, his words are equivalent to telling me, what I think is “ Fanaticism", it's simply not in the mainstream, you have to be like him, you are a person who is really fanatic about a weird thing! In order to explore the truth about the Yuhua Terrace Stone, he went so far as to become a monk without hesitation. But despite my heartfelt admiration for his fanaticism, I disagree with his approach. I took a breath: "Please forgive me, I am a person who believes in science. Now that you have converted to Buddhism, please answer me truthfully. Do you really think that metaphysics can explain things that science cannot explain?" He frowned and remained silent. I said again: "Please forgive me for calling Buddhism metaphysics." Huan shook his head: "It doesn't matter, Buddhism is a mysterious theory, it doesn't matter." I forcefully asked, "After you became a monk, what experience did you have?" Huan Liao raised his head: "Buddha can accept Sumeru in Mustard Seed, I think the situation in this Yuhua Terrace Stone is a microcosm of the whole world we live in!" I blinked because for a moment, I really didn't understand what he meant by that. Huan Lian sighed: "You have seen that stone, in that stone, red filaments and white filaments are entangled, wanting to destroy each other, so endlessly, this is similar to that in our world. , People have been killing each other non-stop for thousands of years, so what's the difference?" I was stunned for a while, unable to catch up. Then he said: "If there is an extremely large person, and if there is an extremely large container, all the people can be put in this container, and that giant, watching the human beings killing each other outside , Isn’t that thrilling scene just like when we put that piece of Yuhuatai Stone under the sunlight and look at the situation inside it?” I opened my mouth wide, but still couldn't make a sound. When I started talking, I couldn't catch up. It was just because I thought what he said was too mysterious and incredible.But when he went on, I couldn't make a sound, but it was because I was surprised at the aptness of his comparison, which made it difficult for me to refute! He let out a sigh of relief: "Maybe you don't quite agree with me, but that is indeed my idea!" I thought for a while, and then said: "I totally agree with your statement, but your statement only explained a phenomenon, but failed to explain the essence, source and what is inside of the Yuhuatai Stone!" Huan shook his head: "Yes, this is metaphysics. As far as science is concerned, one can only know the essence of a thing, but cannot understand the spirit of such a thing!" I nodded in agreement with Huan's words, and I said, "Then, why did Master Zhikong want to see me again?" Illusionally said: "Of course it is because of that stone, you can drive now, leave the city and turn left!" I started the car and drove forward. On the suburban road, following Huan Hua's instructions, half an hour later, the car stopped at the side of the mountain, and there was a small road leading to the mountain. I dreamed of getting off the car with me, and set foot on that small road. The place is very secluded, and almost no one can meet, and the small road up the mountain is actually not a road at all, but it is full of weeds, which can be vaguely seen Just a trace of identification. It took us another half an hour before we came to a flat in the middle of the mountain. There were a few houses along the mountain. It couldn't be called a temple at all, but its environment was extremely quiet. I came to the front of the house, pushed the door and walked in. In the middle of the room, there was a very unique Buddha statue, made of bronze, completely different from the Buddha statues in ordinary temples.It is simply a work of art with beautiful lines, simple and simple. Seeing me pay attention to the Buddha statue, I was also quite proud: "That is my work." I looked at him strangely: "You don't study science?" He smiled and said: "That's my hobby, and I also found that if I hadn't become a monk, I would never have been able to make such a good Buddha statue." I didn't say anything, I found that he said himself because It is a bit far-fetched to say that the Yuhuatai stone became a monk. The real reason why he became a monk was because he had an extremely deep interest in Buddhism. I followed him through the Buddhist hall, came to a room behind, and dreamed: "Master, there are guests here." I immediately heard a familiar voice, that voice has not changed much from many years ago, I seem to have returned to twenty years ago, at the door of a Zen room in Jinshan Temple with Xu Yuejing, I heard Zhikong Monk's voice: "Come in!" Imagining pushed the door open, I saw Monk Zhikong. Monk Zhikong is much older, but his spirit is still very good. He is copying scriptures at a table, and the situation is the same as when I first saw him. As soon as the door opened, he put down his pen, looked up at me, and we looked at each other. After a while, the monk Zhikong smiled: "I really don't recognize you anymore. You have changed a lot. Is there any news about Yuejing?" I shook my head: "Never, Master Zhikong, you are still the same. Ever since you left Zhenjiang suddenly, Yuejing almost regarded me as an enemy and ignored me for a long time." Monk Zhikong sighed: "That's because I don't want this matter to be known again!" I was a little ashamed and said: "Actually, I have never told anyone that you have such a stone." Monk Zhikong was stunned for a while: "I have heard your name mentioned by many people. Over the years, you have encountered many strange things!" I said: "Yes, but I'm afraid none of them can match your Yuhuatai stone." Monk Zhikong stayed for a long time before saying: "I must have told you about the illusion. I heard you looking for me. I want to see you again. I feel that the tragedy of that year may repeat itself!" When Monk Zhikong said that, his voice and demeanor were extremely serious, so that although I didn't know what was going on with the "tragedy" he was talking about, I still felt a sense of fright.